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London – 48hr Stay Advice & Final Thoughts

Advice

I was in London for 48 hours. A short timespan means making the most of your time there. Do your research to see what you’re most interested to see and go. If you know you’ll regret missing something, make it a priority! From my own experience, I highly recommend spending a few hours wandering around Camden Market (for food and shopping) and any of their parks (for walking, photos, relaxing) – more info on these in my other London posts. If you have more time, visit some museums (as they are free), sightsee the downtown area or try to get a tour of Buckingham Palace (there are tight operating hours so maybe plan in advance… I missed it when I went). Just note that London is very expensive, so make sure you are budgeting for everything you want to do!

The best way to see the city:

Take the tube (aka the subway). Buy a pass, try to understand the maps and checkout the city. They will be busy and warm, but it’s the quickest way around.

Walk. I think the best way to see anything is to walk around. This way, you may catch things you didn’t know were there. Also recommend walking along the river, taking in the view of the bridges, parliament and the city. This gives you great photo opportunities.

Try to stay at a place that’s either right downtown (walking distance from attractions), or right by a subway station. This will save you so much time and money, instead of getting a car.

Final Thoughts

Visiting London has been on my travel bucket list for years for so many reasons. Now having visited it, my final thoughts, well, it felt too close to home. Walking the streets of London, even though the buildings were older and more historic than Toronto’s, it weirdly felt like I was still in Toronto. I can’t explain it. I think it feels more like a place I’d live in and explore after work or on my lunch break, as I do in Toronto, than going out of my way to go visit. Which is why I’m glad this was a stopover on my European adventure than a thought out destination.

The city is amazing, there are so many sites to see, but I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to go back to go sightseeing, even though I have a list of places I still want to visit. I will go back one day to visit Abbey Lane and studios, the London Bridge, Hyde Park, Harry Potter Studios and all the museums. Since I want to see so much more of England, I’m thinking to cover these remaining must-dos on my list, as a stopover on a road trip or train trip around the country! …a possible plan for the future…?

Having said that, this was my own opinion of the city. Everyone has their own experiences and stories when visiting places. The truly best way to find out if you will enjoy a place isn’t to read someone else’s opinion and make it your own, it’s to actually go and make your own opinion. Venture out, because you’ll never know what you’ll find.

If you want to see some clips from my time in London, check out my London highlights video encompassing both days spent wandering the city!

I always think the best way to discover the real soul of a city is to walk its streets. People tend to rush around going to see all the “sights” so they can cross them off their self-imposed lists. They never chill and try to become part of the city. I live in London and I’ve walked most of it over the years, I love it. Next time you’re in town give me a shout and I can show you my London – or at least give you some suggestions that don’t mean queueing for hours or paying way too much – it is one expensive city.

Me too, honestly I think walking the streets among the locals is the best way to see the city and see the culture and interaction of the people. I not only do that when travelling but at home in Toronto, I love walking around new neighbourhoods and seeing what I can find.

I’ve had that same feeling when visiting other cities, especially having grown up so close to San Francisco. It feels more like I’m exploring something completely new when I’m in small, cute towns or more natural landscapes.

In life, you never know where the road may take you. Choose the road less travelled, choose the road that helps you grow, choose the road that makes you happy. If you branch out from the norms you may find peace in something else. It may be a scary move but hold your head up high and believe in yourself.